Rat and Mouse
by Prophe-Cass
Summary: Allura is a girl who wants to be free from her father's rule. Lance is a boy who wants to be able to eat without getting chased or harassed. But they both want love. Which is probably why destiny put them together. And Keith, better known as Kei the monkey, just wants the mushy looks to end.


Cast list:

Alfor - The Sultan

Allura - Jasmine

Lance - Aladdin

Keith - Abu

Zarkon - Jafar

Acxa, Ezor, Zethrid, Narti - Guards

Sendak - Guard General

Merchant - Vrepit Sal

(:)

This storyline was suggested by edowdle.

Lance was a simple street crook, only stealing enough to survive. This got him into loads of trouble which he only was able to escape from with his friend, a monkey named Kei.

When Lance had first met Kei, he found that the monkey had a collar around his neck which read 'Yorak', but Kei quickly showed his disinterest for the name with a flourish of ugly hoots.

Lance wanted to name him something cool, but all names - Marco, Luis, Sylvio - were met with the same lashing anger. Lance was always pretty sure he could hear swears in those raging rants.

Finally, Lance decided to mention a name based on one of the sounds the monkey seemed to use most, and the animal appeared to agree, and was shortly renamed Kei.

Despite the burst of angry emotions that overflowed the young monkey, the two made a great duo, mastering the art of stealing and defeating the odds.

The two were just two lone rangers, enjoying being the best thieves in the land. That is, until Princess Allura stepped foot into the market place.

Then, much to Kei's dismay, Lance was blinded by newfound love for this…strange woman.

It started as any other day. Playing pranks on one of the many market stall owners - who happened to be a bloato fruit vender. Lance had just cracked open the fruit, giving a little less then half to Kei.

Kei, luckily, didn't seem to notice his deviousness.

Suddenly, Lance, looking over the loud market place, spotted a young woman, hair as white as snow, skin as dark as chocolate, and a yellow band around her forehead.

Lance leaned towards her for a better look, staring at the young woman as she pulled a musty, tan hood around her face.

Kei, meanwhile, brushed his mullet - unnaturally crafted, as Lance would say - out of his eyes as he looked at his friend's love-stricken face.

But then he glanced down at the fruit in Lance's hands. Then at his own. Then at Lance's.

Hooooold ooooooon juuuuusssssst aaaaa weeeeeeee seeeeeecond…

Kei switched the halves quickly as Lance continued to zone in on the young lady.

Once again, Kei was the one to have to remind him that love-at-first-sight didn't exist. It seemed that he had to scream in the young thief's face every Saturday.

Like…just…dude.

Kei climbed on top of Lance's head, peaking down at his best friend's face and blinked.

Lance just picked him up by the scruff - which hard as he might try, Kei just couldn't remember having - and set him to the side.

Right. Plan B. Oh, wait, Lance was already on his feet and going.

Kei just KNEW he should have started with the screaming.

Lance ignored his monkey friend, desperate only to save the young woman near him. While Kei had been 'fooling' around, she had stole an apple without meaning to and now could not pay the merchant back. Lance could NOT let the man - Vrepit Sal, Lance recalled - cut off her hand.

Before he knew what was happening, his hand latched around the man's hand, swiping the sword away with a smooth.

"Thank you, kind sir, I'm so glad you found her." Then, turning to the woman, scolded, "I've been looking all over for you."

"What are you doing?" The woman hissed, glaring.

"Just play along." Lance murmured back, before looking at Vrepit Sal.

"Wait, do you know this girl?" The merchant asked, frowning at the woman to Lance.

"Sadly, yes." Lance pouted, leaning heavily on the man. "She's my sister, Veronica. She's a little crazy."

Both he and Vrepit Sal pretended not to notice the woman's offended gasp. "Ever since my parents died, it's been only me, her, and our monkey."

"But she said she knew the Sultan." Vrepit Sal quipped, glaring at Lance.

Excuse, excuse, think of an excuse…"Funny you should mention that." Lance chuckled, looking at Kei as he rummaged through people's purses. "She things the monkey is the Sultan."

Kei stiffened from the sudden attention, crawling over to Lance in offense.

"Oh, great Sultan!" Kei was startled when suddenly the woman bowed down to HIM. Aaaaaaah, they must be acting something. "How can I serve you?"

Oooooooooh…while he hated people looking to him for decisions, despite being a monkey, he liked this opportunity for a game. While he rambled out gibberish, mostly consisting of his name, Lance sighed onto the store keeper. "Tragic, isn't it?" Meanwhile, he used his foot to snag an apple, and flipped it into the air, and grinned as the vendor caught it. "But, no harm done. Com'n, Veronica, time to see the doctor!"

The woman's eyes were blank, staring at nothing, a slightly-crazy smile drawn over her face. A fine actor, she was.

As Lance drove her onward, she paused, grinning at a camel, ready to continue the game. "Oh, hello doctor, how are you?"

Lance's surprised expression covered his face, but he forced a sigh, a slight smile tugging on his lips. "Nonono, not that one…" casting a glanced over his shoulder, he added "com'n, Sultan," to Kei.

With a squeak of excitement, Kei bowed to the nearby people and began to follow Lance, only for him to drop a surplus of apples, golden jewelry, and money from the red jacket he wore.

Kei scrambled to pick several items up, chattering away as the onlookers gasped.

"Run! Com'n, Kei!" Lance cried, waving to his monkey as he broke into a run, pulling the young woman after him as he weaved through the crowds.

Kei picked up a single golden coin and tore after them, Vrepit Sal calling out death-threats after them.

People tried to grab the three of them, but Lance was crafty, managing to escape their accusing hands.

Once they arrived at the outskirts of town, he finally stopped, letting the woman catch her breath.

Once she did, he decided to begin to school her.

"Now, now. The market place is no place for a young lady like you." Lance scolded, taking her hand once more as he gently pulled her up the stairs onto the roof of a building.

"The name, is Allura." The woman quipped, scowling. "And I could have handled it."

"Really? I could have sworn I saw you begging for mercy down there, just as Vrepit Sal got ready to cut off your hand."

"I could have survived without my hand."

"Really?"

Allura hesitated with that, frowning. Could she? She doubted that the man would have helped her bundle up her arm, and she most likely would have bled to death from the cut arteries in her hand. "Well…"

"The point is, there's few people in the market place you can trust." Lance told her, picking up a long pole from the ground. "I'm one of those few, and I can help you get better, if you like."

"Really." Allura sarcastically rolled her eyes, arching an eyebrow.

"Really." Lance dug the pole into th ground, vaulting over the gap between the current building and the one next to it. "There's not much one can do on their own. I barely survived my first year in this town. But my experience helps others." He called over to her, shrugging. "It might take awhile to learn." He picked up a long, wooden plank, laying it across the gap. To his surprise, she ignored it, picking up her own pole.

She stabbed it into the ground, using it to host herself across the gap with ease.

"I'm a fast learner." She giggled, tossing him back his staff.

Lance barely caught it, blinking at her in shock as she readjusted her hood.

Exchanging a glance with Kei, the duo shrugged at each other wordlessly.

"Well, then, it'll be a pleasure to teach you." Lance grinned, leaning the staff against the wall as he smirked at the girl. "Let's head to my place."

"Deal." The girl nodded, smiling so gently that Lance's heart fluttered at her look.

Kei just groaned. He was already annoyed with the loving look Lance was giving her.

As Lance led her over the rooftops, impressed by how quick she was learning, his doopy grin only growing, along with Kei's uneasiness. He didn't like this girl; she was flirting with Lance way too much for Kei's likeness.

Within a few moments, they got to their house, Lance taking the girl's hand gently and leading her into his house.

"Watch your head there." He warned gently, pausing long enough for her to duck her head underneath one of the many rafters. "Over here."

The girl's eyes sparkled, gasping with awe as she looked around. "Is this where you live?"

"Yep! Just me and Kei." Lance grinned, looking back at his monkey fondly.

Kei only made one of his unrepeatable sounds.

"We come and go as we please…" Lance continued, leading her up to what he classified as his 'bedroom'.

"That sounds fabulous." The longing in the girl's tone was obvious, but Lance didn't mention it, not wanting to upset her.

"Well…it's not much…" Lancd shrugged, putting his hand on the curtain that his the grand finale. "…but it's got a great view." He pulled back the curtain, revealing the full town of Altea with the Castle of Lions behind it, making it seem all the more enchanting.

"Wow, the palace looks pretty amazing, huh?" Lance beamed, gazing out over the landscape. Absolutely beautiful…

"Oh. It's wonderful." Lance missed the sudden tiredness that cans into her voice, the unease she felt at the view.

"I wonder what it would be like to live there." Lance sudden burst out, staring at it in envy while Kei chattered, playing with the fruit in his hands. "Have servants. All the food I can eat…"

"Oh, sure." The girl sarcastically muttered. "People telling you where to go, how to dress."

"Heh." Once again, Lance missed the purpose of the sentence. "That's better then here. You're only scraping for food and ducking the guards."

"You're not free to make your own choices." The girl pouted.

"Sometimes you feel so…" Lance tried, searching for the right word.

"Just…" the girl stammered.

"Trapped." They said together, startling even themselves as they glanced at each other.

Kei grumbled.

Lance, watched in surprise as a happy, almost sly smile spread across the girl's face.

Lance coughed, disguising his attraction to her as he picked up his own fruit from Kei and stole Kei's apple, passing it over to the girl with a nudge of his arm, using a trick he had learned. "Ahem. So, where you from?"

"What does it matter?" The girl bitterly chuckled. "I ran away, and I'm not going back."

Lance took a crunch of his apple, then face it to a beyond-annoyed Kei. "Really? How come?"

Kei groaned, preparing to throw away the apple. Then, catching sight of the girl's uneaten fruit, decided to steal that instead.

"My father's forcing me to get married." The girl explained sadly.

"Oh…that's…that's awful." Lance sighed, only thinking of how if she got married, he'd have no chance with her. Then, noticing how Kei was reaching toward the girl's apple, shouted the monkey's name loudly. "Kei!"

He began rambling, shouting angry threats at Lance as he complained, glaring venom at his friend.

The girl looked on in amusement, laughing gently. "What?"

"Oh…uh…Kei says…uh…" suddenly, a sly grin crossed his face, and he turned to face the girl. "…that's not fair."

Kei squeaked in confusion, flabbergasted.

"Oh, did he?" The girl knew that Lance was teasing, but she played along.

"Yeah! Of course."

"And…does…Kei have anything else to say?"

"Oh, well, he wishes there was something he could do to help."

Kei grumbled something that sounded suspiciously like 'Oh, boy' turning his back on the couple.

"Tell him that's very…sweet." The girl flirted, smiling into Lance's face.

Lance felt himself leaning in, his eyes slipping close as he leaned in for a kiss.

"HERE YOU ARE!" A guard, the captain of the guards, interrupted the moment, suddenly appearing. It was a daily occurrence for him to chase Lance around, and it was rare for him not to show up.

Lance had, obviously, forgotten the dude existed, and gapped in shock, emotionally slapping himself for being so careless.

"They're after me!" The girl screamed at the same time he did, rising to her feet with him. Then, rounding on each other in confusion, shrieked "They're after you?!"

The soldier grunted, slashing down the beam that always annoyed Lance, but he didn't have time to be grateful. Instead, he jumped into the window ledge, hardly listening as the girl began to ramble.

"Father must have sent them to-!"

"Do you trust me!" Lance suddenly burst out, rounding on her.

"What?"

"Do you trust me?!" Lance thrust his hand at her, ignoring her startled look.

"Uh…yes?" She hummed hesitantly, letting him pull her onto the ledge, too.

"Then jump!" He ordered, pulling her over the edge.

She screamed on her way down, trembling as she plummeted down.

The two of them fell through several floors, coming clean through some fabric and landing in a pile of rice.

Lance, pulled her to her feet, turned sharply and pulling her off the rice, needing to just get away!

Unfortunately, he turned the wrong way…right into the arms of another batch of guards.

"We just keep running into each other, don't we, street rat?" The guard grinned, shaking him like a rag doll.

Kei jumped onto his hat, pulling down the turban over the guards eyes, squeaking as he urgently tried to rescue his best friend.

Lance grabbed the girl's hand again, pulling her away once more. "Run!" Spotting another patrol of guards around the corner, he pivoted, crying out. "Go, get out of here!"

The first guard scooped Kei off his face, throwing the poor monkey into the nearest jar.

"It's the dungeon for you, boy!" The man snarled, scooping Lance up and throwing him to his friends.

"Hey-!" Lance protested, trying to get away from the prying arms. "Get off!"

"Let him go!" The girl ordered, pounding on the captain of the guard's arm.

He looked at her, amused, pushing her away. "Lookie here, men! A street mouse!"

She collapsed on the ground, grunted and staring at him with frosty eyes.

"Hey!" Lance thundered, outraged. How dare they treat a lady like that!

"Unhand him!" The girl ordered, reaching up to grab her hood. "By order of the princess!" She pulled it away, revealing a sparkly headband, glimmering in the light.

The man looked at her again, before gasping, bowing to one knee. The others did the same, pushing Lance's head down to kneel, too. "Princess Allura!" He bowed.

"Princess…?" An emotion, a mix of confusion and betrayal, hit Lance hard. He…he didn't know what to do with himself.

Kei peaked out of the jar, squeaking in shock.

"What are you doing outside the palace?" The man asked, feeling a ramble coming on. He was so fired. "And with this street rat!"

"That's not your concern!" Allura balked, horrified. "Do as I command, and release him!"

A sickening smile crossed the man's face, the guard bowing. "Oh, I would princess, but my orders come from Zarkon. You'll have to take it up with him."

"Oh, believe me, I will." Allura vowed, marching away from the still-struggling, terrified Lance.

(:)

Later, Lance tugged at his restraints, trying to keep the tears of frustration from his eyes. "She was the princess!" He spat. "I can't believe it. I almost kissed the princess. I must have sounded so STUPID to her!"

Interrupted his self-sulking mood, a long, familiar call pierced the silence. A quick check proved it to be Kei, tipping his hat excitedly to Lance from far above.

"Kei! Down here." Lance ordered, jerking his head. "Com'n, help me out of this."

Kei, however, decided to scold him for hanging out with the princess first. Putting on his best 'female impression' he ranted on to Lance about he fell so stupidly in love with her! Then, he pulled out the key.

"Hey, she was in trouble. Aw, she was worth it…"

Kei grumbled, making noises that sounded like 'yeah, yeah…'

"Don't worry, Kei. I'll never see her again." Lance assured him, sighing in misery again. "I'm a 'street rat', remember? And there's a law. She's got to marry a prince."

Marriage! The very thought! Kei hummed in disappointment. That was very quick. One day, and Lance was captivated by her.

"She desperate a prince." Lance mumbled. "I'm a fool.

"Only a fool will give up, boy." A voice, filled with great knowledge and power, rippled across the whole room, startling Lance.

"Who're you?" Lance gaped, shocked.

A man, wrinkled and old, looking like he was from the neighboring kingdom of Dibazzel, stepping from the shadows, leaning heavily on his cane. "Only a prisoner like yourself. But together…perhaps we can be more!" The man made the money symbol with his hands, grinning from ear to ear.

"I'm listening." Lance said instantly.

"There's a cave, boy! A cave of wonders!" The man continued, weaving his tale evilly as he grinned at Lance.

Kei didn't trust the man.

Lance did trust the man.

"Filled with treasures beyond your deepest dreams." With a crooked hand, the man revealed about four previous, sparkling rubies, but snatched them away before either boy got a good look. "A treasure to impress even your princess, I wager."

How much had he heard?

Lance thought about it while the old man's back was turned, before deciding to speak up again. "But the law says only a prince can marry the princess."

"You'll be a prince soon, won't you? Whoever has the gold, makes the rules." He smiled, revealing his crooked teeth, all of them filed into fangs.

"So why would you share all this wonderful treasure with me?" Lance asked, backing away from the man slowly as he rose to his feet.

"Only young men with good legs and strong backs can carry the treasure…"

"Uh. One problem. It's out there. We're in here." Obviously this man was loony for not thinking of it.

"Mm-mm-mm." The man scoffed, shaking his head in disappointment. With a simple push onto some stone grating with his cane, the bottom three stones on a section of wall came away, revealing the outside world. "Things aren't always what they seem. So…do we have a deal?"

Lance looked at his outstretched hand, then at Kei, who gave him a reluctant shrug.

Grabbing the hand, Lance accepted his future.

Soon, he would have Allura's hand in marriage, and all the riches in the world. And all he had to do was trust this little man.


End file.
